A landslip in Lestari Perdana, Seri Kembangan, Selangor damaged five vehicles at about 6.30 pm on January 25. The collapse of the 90-meter-long cliff with a height of nine meters involved a parking area and part of the road.
The alarming incident recorded by a nearby individual showed several vehicles, including cars and a van slipping following the landslip.
A witness to the incident, Alter Jasan, 48, told Sinar Harian that the incident happened quite fast. According to Alter, the incident started with a small crack before the ground started moving.
Upon seeing the ground movement, Alter managed to move a few cars with the help of some of his friends. Alter added that heavy rains in the area before the incident indirectly caused the soil settlement and landslip.
Based on a report by Utusan Malaysia, the Director of the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), Norazam Khamis said there were no casualties in the incident.
Pile installation work around the area in full swing
Berita Harian reported that Petaling District Officer, Datuk Johary Anuar said the piling work around the incident area is now in full swing. The piling work is expected to take about a week to complete.
He said the piling is to ensure no ground movement and prevent the incident from recurring. Added Datuk Johary Anuar, they take the matter seriously and will work with other agencies to identify the cause of the incident.
He mentioned to Berita Harian that a landslip occurred at the same location in 2017, according to a record.
17 premises near the landslip area ordered to stop operations temporarily
Following the landslip, Sinar Harian reported that Serdang District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner A A Anbalagan instructed the owners of 17 commercial premises located about 150 meters from the scene to stop their operations temporarily.
Anbalagan also asked the owners not to be near the scene until the situation is certified safe.
Additionally, vehicle owners who parked their vehicles in the vicinity were asked to move their cars to a safer place.
Can you claim from the authorities for car damage due to a landslip?
In brief, if your car damage is due to the negligence of certain parties in maintaining and repairing the road, you can file a claim for damages and file a suit in court.
According to Kosmo‘s report on December 30, 2020, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) Head of Governance and Integrity Cluster, Assoc Prof Dr Ahmad Marthada said vehicle owners could submit their claims to the parties involved, such as the Public Works Department (JKR) following negligence resulting in injury to users. However, they must have solid ground before making their claims.
Can you claim on your car insurance for car damage due to a landslip?
Car insurance – including a comprehensive policy – does not cover any damage, loss or liability due to landslips, landslides, floods, hurricanes, storms, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Therefore, you cannot make a car insurance claim for the damage to your car due to landslips or other natural disasters.
For your information, insurance companies spell out a few exclusions in insurance policies. Briefly, exclusions refer to situations whereby your insurance does not cover the damages or losses. As such, you have to bear any loss or damage if the situation causing the loss or damage is part of your insurance exclusions.
Nevertheless, you do not have to worry. You can extend your insurance coverage by getting special perils cover.
Get special perils cover
Special perils cover is an additional or optional coverage. Therefore, it is not obligatory for you to get the coverage. However, if you wish to get it, you have to pay an additional premium to enjoy the benefits offered. Note that you can only get this additional coverage if you have comprehensive insurance.
Typically, the additional premium for special perils cover is 0.5% of your vehicle’s sum insured. For example, if the sum insured of your car is RM30,000, the additional premium you have to pay is only RM150.
For your information, the additional premium rate for special perils cover may vary across insurers. Therefore, please check the additional premium rate before getting the cover.
You may refer to our past article to learn more about special perils cover.
Protect your car with the best insurance coverage
Landslips or other natural disasters can happen without notice. As a car owner, we would advise you to try to get special perils cover to protect your car.
To ease you, use Bjak, one of Malaysia’s biggest insurance comparison sites. You can compare up to 15 insurance brands and get the insurance that meets your needs at the best price.
Visit Bjak for free car insurance quotes.
